


L'Enfant

by TheTeaIsAddictive



Series: The Beauty of a Beast [12]
Category: Beauty and the Beast (1991)
Genre: F/M, Family Planning, References to Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-18
Updated: 2016-05-18
Packaged: 2018-06-09 05:25:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6891970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheTeaIsAddictive/pseuds/TheTeaIsAddictive
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the Château de Campagne, Belle de Basque, new wife of the king's younger brother, sat in her favourite green sofa in the library, passive-aggressively hemming her husband's handkerchief. She was in the midst of an argument that had been lasting for four days now, and neither she nor Adam showed any sign of relenting. It was really a very simple argument, when it came down to it. </p><p>Belle wanted a baby.</p>
            </blockquote>





	L'Enfant

**L'Enfant**

Snow was falling swift and fast outside the window, coating the provincial countryside with a thick white blanket, weighing the branches of trees down and prompting children everywhere to run outside and create snowmen. In the Château de Campagne, Belle de Basque, new wife of the king's younger brother, sat in her favourite green sofa in the library, passive-aggressively hemming her husband's handkerchief. She was in the midst of an argument that had been lasting for four days now, and neither she nor Adam showed any sign of relenting. It was really a very simple argument, when it came down to it. 

Belle wanted a baby. 

It wasn't an unreasonable request - they had discussed it early on in the period between the transformation and the engagement, Adam never quite forgetting Belle's description of Gaston dictating their married life to her after rudely marching straight into her home - but whenever she asked him, Adam had always said "Not yet." After three months of this Belle had finally had enough. 

"Why don't you want a baby?" she'd asked straight off the bat on Wednesday as they climbed into bed. 

"Belle, do we really have to do this now?" Adam had responded pointedly. 

"Yes, we do," she'd said, straightening her back so she appeared taller than him. "We've been dodging the topic since November, and I want to know what your problem is."

"I don't _have_ a problem," Adam said, turning around so sharply that for a moment his hair fell in his eyes. 

"Yes you do!" Belle exclaimed. "Is the idea of having a child with me that repugnant?!" 

"I do not have _any_ issue with the idea of having a child with you!" Adam nearly shouted, his face turning red. 

"Oh _really_ ," Belle said sarcastically, tugging on the ends of her hair. "Because I haven't seen you exactly _rising_ to the occasion to try and have one since our wedding night!!"

She knew that at this (unintentional) double entendre she had gone too far. Anger, hurt and the desire not to succumb to his temper raged in Adam's blue eyes, and she had swiftly jumped out their bed and ran to her old room, back when she had been a prisoner of the Beast. 

Things had been tense between them ever since, but to the outside world they acted as though nothing was the matter, which somehow made things feel even worse. When Madame Armoire made good-natured jibes about how soon they'd need to be letting out her dresses, Belle hid tears of frustration behind a smile. She hadn't even confided in Mrs. Potts. There were some things, Belle reflected, that should stay between married couples. 

The clock struck one, and Belle was suddenly jolted out of her reverie. She looked down at the half-finished handkerchief still in her hand, and resolutely put it away in her sewing box. She had always hated sewing, even when her mother was alive and all Belle had had to do was hem her dresses. She smiled ruefully at the memory, and in a rustle of fabric searched the bookshelves for a book - any book, really. She didn't know what to do about the baby situation, but she did know she needed to apologise for what she had said to Adam four nights ago. Absent-mindedly, she picked up a red-and-gold bound book, and flicked open to a random page. 

"Sinite parvulos venire ad me et ne prohibueritis eos: talium enim est regnum Dei," it said. 

"Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these," Belle murmured in a terrible approximation of an Italian accent. It was suddenly clear what she needed to do. 

"Belle," she heard Adam mutter out of sight. 

"Adam," she said, spinning round as he headed out the room. "No, Adam wait!" she cried, reaching out to grab his arm, the deep purple skirt of her dress swishing around her feet. "I'm sorry," she began. "I'm sorry for what I said on Wednesday, and I'm sorry for taking this argument too far, and most of all I'm sorry for continuing to ask you to do something you don't want to."

He turned around, a slight look of confusion on his face. "When did you ask me to do something I didn't want to?"

"With - ah, with -" Belle flushed. "With children," she said lamely. 

"Didn't you hear me? I _do_ want to have children with you, Belle," Adam said, pulling her down next to him on the settee. "I've just been under a lot of pressure from my brother, trying to make sure no revolution is brought up, and of course you've just been so tired lately it didn't seem fair to you, and I've just been so nervous about making sure all the laws are still being upheld that it just didn't seem like the right time. Maybe later, when it's not so . . . chaotic around here was all I thought." 

They sat in silence for a minute. 

"It's finished snowing, by the way," the prince added. 

"Do you want to have another snowball fight?" Belle asked suddenly, the mischievous child within her waking up. 

"I'll give you a chance to regain your honour and win this time," he responded with a grin. 

"This time? I won _last_ year, or don't you remember?" 

"No, _I_ won it."

"Only because you could _literally_ cover the trees in snow if you threw hard enough!"

"Okay, okay, here's a deal. If I win this time, I am undefeated. If you win, we're one-all."

"What? That doesn't even address last years issue!"

"Race you to the garden!" Adam shouted. 

"Oh, no you don't!" his wife yelled after him, the two racing out the library at top speed. "You can't win all our fights!"

**Author's Note:**

> I know very little about contraception pre-20th century, so they're using abstinence. 
> 
> Originally posted to ff.net 16/09/2013
> 
> ETA: WHOOPS i forgot to add a summary, smh get it together already


End file.
